Locomotive fuel conveyer



Feb. 19, 1935.

H. E. LIPPERT LOCOMOTIVE FUEL CONVEYER Filed Feb. 6, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application February 6 7 Claims.

This invention relates to fuel conveyers and particularly to the portion of a conveyer or stoker mounted in a locomotive.

It is among the objects of the present invention to improve the locomotive unit of a stoker generally, including the provision of a stoker conduit of novel formation and an improved arrangement for supporting a stoker conduit upon a locomotive.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from a reading of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal central section of the rear portion of a locomotive with the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are transverse sectional views taken on lines 2-2 and 33, respectively, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal central section of the rear portion of a locomotive with a modified form of the invention applied thereto.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings, wherein like numerals or reference characters indicate corresponding elements or features of construc- 30 tion herein referred to, a locomotive designated by the letter L is provided with a boiler B having a firebox F. The firebox has grates 10 and a backhead 11, the backhead having an opening 12 therein for hand and stoker firing. The firebox F at its rear end is supported on the locomotive frame 13 by means of an expansion plate 14. This expansion plate is of sufflcient flexibility and attached to the boiler B and frame 13 inthe usual manner to permit slight longitudinal movement of the firebox with respect to the locomotive frame when the firebox expands and contracts. A cab deck 15 extends rearwardly from a point at the backhead 11 below the firing opening 12, and is supported at its rear end upon the frame 13 by means of a transverse plate or cab.bracket 16.

A combined firedoor supporting member and stoker conduit section indicated generally by the letter P, is rigidly attached at its upper end to the backhead by bolts or studs 17, and at its lower end thereto by means of a bracket 18. The upper part of the member P surrounds the firing opening 12 and forms, with the walls of the firing opening, a tunnel 30 affording communication between the firebox chamber and the locomotive cab 19, when one or both of firedoors and 21 1934, Serial No. 709,918

are opened. The firedoors 20 and 21 are arranged in a common plane disposed at an angle to the backhead 11 and hinged on transverse axes to the member P. The top firedoor 20 is hinged at its upper end adjacent the backhead to swing in an upward direction when opened, and the bottom firedoor 21 is hinged at its lower end to swing rearwardly and downwardly when opened. Fuel distributing means D, consisting of a distributor head 22 and a distributor plate 23, are carried by the member P, and the plate 23 extends through the firing opening 12, adjacent the lower marginal edge thereof, into the firebox. The head 22 has jet holes 24 which issue blasts of pressure fluid over the top surface of the plate 23 for discharging fuel onto the firebed on the grates.

The lower part of the member P is in the form of a tubular conduit section 25 inclined downwardly and rearwardly from the distributing means and the firing opening to a point immediately beneath but closely adjacent the plane of the cab deck 15. This conduit section opens upwardly into and communicates with the tunnel 30. It is substantially straight in longitudinal vertical section and has parallel front and rear walls 26 and 2'7, respectively, and parallel side walls 28 (Fig. 5). The conduit section 25 is preferably rectangular in cross-sectional shape, the side walls 28 being spaced apart a greater distance than the front and rear walls 26 and 27, and the lower end of this section terminates in a spherically shaped flange 29.

A conduit section 31 is disposed longitudinally of the locomotive and provided on its forward end with a ball element 32 adapted to be loosely mounted in the flange 29 to facilitate slight universal movement between the conduit sections 25 and 31. The universal joint between these conduit sections connects them in end to end relation. The conduit section 31 slopes downwardly and rearwardly from the lower end of the conduit section 25, at a less angle of inclination to the horizontal than the conduit section 25, and terminates at its rear end beneath the cab deck 15. A transverse flange 33 is formed on each side of the rear end of the conduit section 31, an angle iron segment 34 is fixed to the underside of the cab deck by rivets or welding directly above each of the flanges 33, and a vertically disposed plate 35 on each side of the conduit section 31 is securely bolted at its upper end to one of the angle iron segments 34 and at its lower end to the flange 33 beneath the angle iron segment to which it is secured. The rear end of conduit section 31 is thus suspended from the cab deck, and it is preferable that this conduit section be supported from a point on the cab deck spaced as far rearward from the backhead 11 as possible so that the support will be closely adjacent the cab bracket 16. The plates 35 are of suflicicnt flexibility to allow slight longitudinal movement of conduit section 31 with respect to the locomotive frame 13 when the backhead expands and contracts.

The above described conduit supporting arrangement not only maintains the conduit section 31 in its proper position upon the locomotive, but also prevents stresses upon the locomotive frame 13 from being imparted to the backhead sheets. When a train of cars surge upon the locomotive, which occurs when the locomotive stops suddenly, the rear end of the locomotive frame is caused to spring slightly upwardly or downwardly. This slight movement of the frame 13 will cause corresponding movement of the cab deck 15, these parts being connected by the cab bracket 16, and the conduit section 31 will swing slightly in a vertical plane with the center of ball element 32 as an axis, since the rear end of this conduit section is supported from the cab deck. Thus, stresses upon the locomotive frame are not imparted either to the fixed conduit section 25 nor to the backhead 11, and there is no tendency of such stresses to distort the backhead sheets or loosen the studs 17 in the rear backhead sheet.

The forward conduit section 25 and the flexibly mounted rearward conduit section 31 together form a fuel elevating conduit unit carried solely by the locomotive and mounted wholly within the confines thereof. Fuel is delivered from a tender (not shown) forward to the conduit section 31 by a helical screw 36 mounted within a horizontal conduit section 3'7, which conduit sections are connected by a ball and socket joint 38. The screw 36 may be driven in the usual manner at its rear end. A helical screw 39 within the rearward section only of the elevating conduit is connected by a universal joint 40 to the screw 36 at the juncture of the conduit sections 31 and 3'7, and terminates at its forward end adjacent the bend in the elevating conduit and within the confines of the spherical surfaces of flange 29 and ball element 32. An additional helical vane 41 is formed on the forward end of screw 39.

The conduit section 31 is circular in crosssectional shape and of substantially uniform cross-sectional area throughout its length. Immediately forward of the forward terminus of the helical screw 39 and the bend in the elevating conduit, the conduit section 25 is formed to provide a sudden change in its cross-sectional area. The side walls 28 of the conduit section 25 are spaced apart a distance substantially greater than the inside diameter of theconduit section 31. Transverse walls 42 connect the side walls 28 with the spherically shaped flange 29, thus forming a shoulder or offset on each side of the elevating conduit (Fig. 5). The cross-sectional area of the conduit section 25 forward or above the transverse walls 42 is substaniially greater than that of the elevating conduit rearward or below these walls, or stated in other words, a sudden increase in cross-sectional area in the direction of the flow of fuel is provided.

Fuel delivered to the elevating conduit is transferred through the rear section thereof by direct action of the screw 39, and forced by the forward end of this screw through the straight forward section to a point where it falls free y and in loose form over the distributor head 22 into the blasts issuing from jet holes 24. These blasts discharge the fuel over the distributor plate 23 to all parts of the flrebed. It is preferable that the conduit section 25 be straight, instead of S-shaped or curved, to reduce resistance to the movement of the fuel forced therethrough. The fuel does not form into a relatively hard solid mass in passing through the conduit section 25 because of the sudden change in cross-sectional area provided therein and the comparatively short length of this conduit section.

Referring to the modification shown in Fig. 6, a unitary fuel elevating conduit E extends from beneath the cab deck 15 to a point immediately rearward of the fuel distributing means D and the firing opening 12. The conduit E is flexibly jointed at its forward end to the firedoor supporting member M, and flexibly suspended from the cab deck in the same manner as described above with reference to conduit section 31 of the preferred construction. In the modified form, the entire elevating conduit is flexibly mounted on the locomotive instead of only a section thereof. It comprises a straight forward section 50 inclined downwardly and rearwardly from the distributing means D to a point immediately beneath the plane of the cab deck 15 and a rearward inclined section 51 inclined downwardly and rearwardly from the forward section, the conduit sections 50 and 51 being integral. In practically all other respects the modification is similar to the preferred form.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular constructions shown and described, and that changes in design of the separate parts and various arrangements of the different elements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims:

I claim:

1. In combination, a locomotive having a backhead provided with a firing opening, fuel transfer means comprising a straight conduit section rigidly attached to the backhead and arranged to deliver fuel to the firing opening, said conduit section being inclined downwardly and rearwardly from said opening, a straight flexibly mounted conduit section jointed to the first-named conduit section and inclined downwardly and rearwardly therefrom at a less angle of inclination with the horizontal than the first-named section, and a helical screw within the second-named conduit section terminating at its forward end at the joint between the conduit sections, the firstnamed conduit section being formed to provide a sudden change in the cross-sectional area of the conduit system immediately forward of the forward end of said screw, and the cross-sectional area of the portion of the first-named conduit section forward of the point of sudden change in cross sectional area being greater than that of the front end of the second-named conduit section.

2. In combination, a locomotive having a fire-- box provided with a firing opening, fuel elevating means carried solely by the locomotive and with the horizontal than the forward section, and a helical screw within the rearward section terminating at its forward end at said bend, a wall of said conduit having an ofi'set therein immediately forward of the forward end of said screw to provide a sudden increase in the cross-sectional area of the conduit in the direction of the flow of fuel.

3. In combination, a locomotive having a backhead provided with a firing opening, fuel elevating means carried solely by the locomotive and mounted wholly within the confines thereof, said elevating means comprising a conduit inclined downwardly and rearwardly from the firing opening and having a forward straight section of substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, and a straight rearward section of circular cross-sectional shape, anda helical screw within the rearward section terminating at its forward end where the cross-sectional shape of the conduit changes, each side wall of said conduit having an offset therein immediately forward of the forward end of said screw to provide a sudden increase in the cross-sectional area of the conduit in the direction of the flow of fuel.

4. In combination with a locomotive having a backhead provided with a firing opening, fuel elevating means carried solely by the locomotive comprising a conduit section attached to the backhead and arranged to deliver fuel to said opening, said conduit section extending downwardly and rearwardly from said opening, a conduit section disposed in end to end relation with the firstnamed conduit section and inclined downwardly and rearwardly therefrom, the second-named conduit section at its rearward end being attached to the locomotive at a point spaced from the backhead and at its forward .end having a ball joint connection with the first-named conduit section, and a helical screw within the second-named conduit section terminating at its forward end adjacent the juncture of the conduit sections, the first-named section being formed to provide a sudden change in the cross-sectional area of the conduit system immediately forward of the forward and of said screw, and the cross-sectional area of the first-named conduit section forward of the point of sudden change in cross-sectional area being greater than that of the front end of the second-named conduit section.

5. In combination with a locomotive having a cab deck, and a backhead provided with a firing opening, fuel elevating means carried solely by the locomotive comprising a conduit section rigidly attached to the backhead to deliver fuel to said opening and extending downwardly and rearwardly from the opening, a'conduit section flexibly jointed to the first-named conduit section and inclined downwardly and rearwardly therefrom, the second-named conduit section at its rearward end being suspended from the rear end of the cab deck, and a helical screw within the second-named conduit section terminating at its forward end adjacent said flexible joint, the firstnamed conduit section being formed to providea sudden increase in the cross-sectional area of the conduit system in the direction of the fiow of fuel.

6. In combination with a locomotive having a backhead provided with a firing opening, fuel transfer means comprising a straight conduit section rigidly attached to the backhead and arranged to deliver fuel to the firing opening, said conduit section being inclined downwardly and rearwardly from said opening, a straight conduit section flexibly connected to the first-named conduit section and inclined downwardly and rearwardly therefrom at a less angle of inclination with the horizontal than the first-named conduit section, a conduit section flexibly jointed to the second-named conduit section and extending rearwardly therefrom, a helical screw section within each of the second-named and thirdnamed conduit sections for moving fuel through the conduit system to the firing opening, the screw section in the second-named conduit section terminating at its forward end at the connection between the first-named and secondnamed conduit sections, the first-named conduit section being formed to provide a sudden change in the cross-sectional area of the conduit system immediately forward of the forward end of the screw section in the second-named conduit section, and the cross-sectional area of the portion of the first-named conduit section forward of the point of sudden change in cross-sectional area being greater than that of the front end of the second-named conduit section, whereby fuel will be conveyed by direct action of the helical screw sections through the conduit system to the point of sudden change in cross-sectional area and forced in loose form upwardly through the conduit portion of increased cross-sectional area to the firing opening.

7. In a locomotive having a frame and a backhead, a flexibly mounted intermediate conduit section partially supported on a part of the locomotive rearward of the backhead and flexibly connected at its rear end within the confines of the locomotive to a conduit section extending rearwardly from the locomotive, said intermediate section being partially supported on the backhead and flexibly connected at its front end to a short conduit section carried solely by the backhead, whereby slight swinging movement of the intermediate section in a vertical plane is permitted when the rear end of the frame is deflected without imparting stresses to the back head, and a helical screw within the intermediate section terminating at its forward end at the juncture of the intermediate section and said short section, the intermediate section and short section each forming a portion of an elevating conduit carried solely by the locomotive.

HENRY E. Ll'PPERT. 

